Help me find a vaguely-described book.

July 20, 2006 5:11 PM

I read a book when I was 12 or 13 about a boy who may have been living in Wales. The only things I remember about the book are that it involved aliens, cairns (as grave markers?) and that it scared the heck out of me. Does this ring any bells with anyone?
posted by casconed to Writing & Language (11 answers total)

Hmmm, a minor bell rings for me on this one.

Did it have a character who owned a large white dog? Was the main character not Welsh, had moved there with his family? I may be thinking of something else entirely.
posted by tomble at 5:38 PM on July 20, 2006

tomble, you're thinking of "The Grey King" by Susan Cooper.
A good series of kids' books, but no aliens.
posted by Seamus at 6:18 PM on July 20, 2006

Any approximate idea of when it was written?
posted by Felicity Rilke at 6:31 PM on July 20, 2006

Ah, of course - The Grey King! You know, I've been meaning to ask what that book might be, thanks Seamus!
posted by tomble at 6:43 PM on July 20, 2006

Don't know the book you're talking about, but the description sounds like a flick called Children of the Stones.
posted by infinitewindow at 6:47 PM on July 20, 2006

It sounds very much like Time and Mr. Bass by Eleanor Cameron, one of a series of books about people from the Mushroom Planet.

It's really creepy and wonderful and impossible to find in hardcover.
posted by lemuria at 7:05 PM on July 20, 2006

I remember the book, but I seem to be able to recall just about exactly as much about it as you do.

I'd love to find out what it is, though.
posted by duende at 7:19 PM on July 20, 2006

Response by poster: A non-mefite suggested Susan Cooper as well - the only kicker is that I can't find a reference to cairns in her books (but I may just not be looking closely enough).

Another random memory - the aliens (?) are wolf-like and walk upright. So, in the manner of werewolves but distinctly un-werewolf.
posted by casconed at 10:57 PM on July 20, 2006

It's not an Alan Garner is it? I seem to remember something like that (Elidor?).

Alan Garner used to really freak me out. In a good way.
posted by handee at 12:35 AM on July 21, 2006

Susan Cooper wouldn't have reference to cairns in her books, but she wrote about warestones . One of the books from The Dark is Rising series may be what you're looking for, though it doesn't include the aliens you remember.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 12:56 AM on July 21, 2006

Fuck. I'm trying to remember this one too. Did the story involve a lighthouse?
posted by blag at 6:15 AM on July 21, 2006